Avery's season over

CINCINNATI -- Cincinnati Reds left-hander Steve Avery will have surgery Thursday to repair a partial tear in his pitching shoulder, ending his season.

Dr. James Andrews examined Avery on Wednesday in Birmingham, Ala., and concurred that surgery is needed to repair a tear in the tissue on the underside of the rotator cuff.

Avery signed with the Reds as a free agent last December and went 6-7 with a 5.16 ERA in 19 starts. His control was a big problem -- he walked 78 in 96 innings and got progressively wilder as the season went along.

Soreness in the shoulder prompted him to go on the disabled list July 14. A recent magnetic resonance imaging test found the tear.

Dr. Timothy Kremchek, who will assist with the surgery, said doctors won't know the extent of the damage until they get inside the shoulder.

"We don't think it's anything that will jeopardize him for next year," Kremchek said.

Avery agreed to a base salary of $500,000 this season with incentives. There's an option for next season at $3 million that the Reds can buy out for $1 million.